Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Energy regulator Ofgem, has proposed that the energy price cap on bills should be reviewed every three months instead of twice a year to help households. Ofgem says that at a time when consumers are being squeezed financially from all sides, it is looking at how it can use its powers to make the market…
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As the cost of living crisis bites householders across the UK, water billpayers in England and Wales have reported increased anxiety about affording their bills, with more than 61% stating they are concerned about their finances worsening this year. Research by Ofwat showed a correlation between those struggling to pay and suffering with poor wellbeing…
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The rising cost of living will leave 1.5 million households struggling to pay food and energy bills, according to a forecast from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR). The think tank has said that the government should offer targeted interventions to support the UK’s poorest. NIESR also said that the Bank of…
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New figures from StepChange Debt Charity Scotland have indicated that client average arrears on essential bills have increasing by 29% from £2,302 in 2020 to £2,961 in 2021. The charity says that it helped over 28,600 clients with debt advice, and 8,433 went through a full debt advice process, with a growing proportion of clients…
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The average UK household will be short of a £100 a month by 2024, as the cost of living crisis means expenses will outpace incomes. The figures come from a Yorkshire Building Society’s Inflation Nation report and reveal that weekly household spending is set to rise to £705 in just two years’ time. However, the…
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Demand for credit from households is expected to rise this year as cost of living pressures bite, according to the latest EY ITEM Club UK Bank Lending Forecast, which predicts consumer borrowing will grow to a five-year high of 7.9% in 2022 (equivalent to almost £16 billion in net terms). This is a trajectory reversal…
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New data from StepChange Debt Charity shows that the cost of living pressure continues to rise for financially stretched households, as it was the third most commonly cited reason for debt in March, up from the fourth most common in February and the sixth most common in 2021. While 6% of StepChange clients in 2021…
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Debt resolution specialist, Ophelos has announced a partnership with lifestyle credit card company Yonder. The partnership will see Ophelos manage the support of Yonder customers who may find themselves in arrears. The startup selected Ophelos as it reflected Yonder’s business values centred around fairness, transparency and customer respect. Ophelos’ machine learning-driven debt resolution platform will…
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The Credit Services Association (CSA), the UK trade body for debt collection and debt purchase, has released a new report exploring the provision of debt advice for those facing financial difficulties and in need of support. The report entitled ‘Wide of the Mark? Assessing the Delivery & Value of Free-To-Client Debt Advice’ argues that consistent…
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Latest statistics quarterly figures from the Insolvency Service for England & Wales have indicated that personal insolvencies numbers have reached their highest total number in over three years, since Q4 2018. The figures reveal that there were 32,305 (an increase of 16.8%) individuals entering either bankruptcy (1,679) a debt relief order or DRO (6,629) or…
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Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for Apri, 2022 Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1,773.2 billion at the end of February 2022. The average total debt per household, including mortgages, was £63,803 and per adult was £33,526, around 107.9% of average earnings. Net mortgage lending rose by…
Read moreThe amount of money that households collectively owe to their energy suppliers has doubled in the past year to reach £1 billion, with a quarter (23%) of consumers now in energy debt, according to new research from Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service. The number of households in debt to their supplier has risen by…
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Latest figures from Accountant in Bankruptcy have shown that overall, personal insolvency numbers (bankruptcies and protected trust deeds) in Scotland for Quarter 4 2021-2022 were 13% higher compared with Q4 2020-2021, at 1,894 (2021-2022) against 1,677 (2020-2021). A total of 551 bankruptcies were awarded during this quarter – a 2.1% decrease on the same quarter…
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